


Introspective

by Nintendraw



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Fiction, Flash Fiction & Vignettes, Gen, General fiction, Literature, prose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2019-10-14 11:09:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17507486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nintendraw/pseuds/Nintendraw
Summary: He'd always wanted a younger sister, someone to care for and be admired or challenged by as the others couldn't. But now... (Two-part drabble featuring Xander and Ryoma.)





	1. He'd Always Wanted a Sister

**Author's Note:**

> [[ Older work imported from DeviantArt. ]]

 

He’d always wanted a younger sister.

Who was he to complain, some said. He had two younger sisters already—three, even, if he counted the one he’d barely known. But the elder was voluptuous and suave, given to matters he could not ( _must_ not) fathom; the younger was bright and innocent, a flower whom it was his duty to protect; and the mysterious middle was recalcitrant and shy, disinclined to conversation about herself or others.

He’d always wanted a younger sister—one who he could protect and be protected by, one he could teach and be taught by, one whom he could one day groom into his heir. Neither grandiose minx nor shrinking violet drew him, for he wanted someone who could take his place if he and his brother fell in the line of duty. War was hell, he knew; it was cruel and unfathomable, and while it could grant him his life one day, it could as easily take it from him and his the next.

He’d always wanted a younger sister—and so when his father brought her home that fateful day, he’d gone out of his way to meet her, befriend her, teach her the ways of the world. Even when his father shut her off from it, ever did he come with a book in hand and new stories or lessons to tell. He’d watched as she listened raptly to his words, and only then, with a smile, could he let his façade drop. Only then could he be no longer the crown prince, but just the loving brother. He, in fact, was the reason why the others came to her, and came to love her as much as he.

He’d always wanted a younger sister…

But now, she was gone.

…

_“I cannot condone what Nohr has done. I am sorry, Brother, but… I stand with Hoshido.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview image from [MissNemone](https://imgur.com/a/pwUsT).
> 
> In my headcanon, Xander is the more doting older brother. He puts on the stoic mask, but cares very deeply for his siblings, possibly more so than Ryoma because he would've had to protect them from Garon's wrath and monsters too. Corrin returning to the land of her birth would have hit him like a ton of bricks because he invested the first and most time of any of the Nohr royals into caring for her. Perhaps he is the one who inspired Camilla's near-jealous love of Corrin.


	2. He'd Always Wanted her Back

He’d always wanted her back.

He had no right to be so greedy, he knew. He shouldn’t fight Fate, and he had two sisters still—Three, even, if he counted the one who’d come to them after the war began. It was the role of the heir to guide the people through their darkest times; but sometimes, he tired of standing alone, the perfect heir, the beacon of hope for all his people. Even a prince needed guidance sometimes—but who could he turn to? Who could guide the North Star whilst blinded by it?

He’d always wanted her back, that sister he’d tried to make his equal, who could advise him just as he advised others. The elder, for all her strength, did not have the insight he needed; the younger, he feared, he had overshone just as he had his younger brother. The middle, though wise, was quiet and reserved; as if aware that she was a mere replacement, she never allowed herself to receive too much, to his chagrin. 

He’d always wanted her back—for when his mother brought her home that day, he’d gone out of his way to be with her, to smile at and play with her, to show her that he wasn’t only the steadfast lion others believed him to be. From her earliest days, he’d tried to instill his values in her; yet for all his strength, he could not prevent her from being taken away. Did she still remember him on the other side? What if they clashed blades, on a field where the death of one meant the victory of the other? Would she still recognize him? Worse yet, would she advise him to strike her down? War was hell, he knew, changeable as the wind, pitting cousin against cousin and brother against sister with nary a hint of care. It would be easier to forget her, he knew; yet she tied his hands by giving face to a faceless foe.

He’d always wanted her back…

And one day, she came.

…

_“Welcome back, little princess. You’re finally home.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview image from [U on Pixiv](https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=51694569).


End file.
